Hellboy
Anung Un Rama, better known as “'Hellboy'”, is a male humanoid demon, ex-paranormal investigator and the unwilling Harbinger of the Apocalypse. Hellboy, as his associates most often call him, is tall, muscular, yellow-eyed and red-skinned. He has a prehensile tail, immunity to fire (films only,) as well as great strength and perseverance. His face bears black sideburns with a bald spot atop his head, which is also the home of two stumps that have the potential to grow into a large pair of demonic horns. These have been filed off by Hellboy himself, in order to make him more human and to fit in. Possessing a strong Bronx accent and a hot-tempered attitude, Hellboy has the dry wit and sarcastic personality of a rebellious teenager. He always takes his often-maddening job in stride, shrugging off monstrous foes and saving Earth from total devastation with a crack of the knuckles, a twist of the neck, and a skeptical one-liner. Biography: Discovery: The being that would become known as Hellboy first appeared the night of December 23, 1944, on an island off the Scottish Coast. Summoned to Earth by the evil mystic Grigori Rasputin, who had been employed by the Nazis, the infant demon appeared miles away in a churchyard in East Bromwich, England. There he met a team of crack American soldiers sent to investigate the mysterious Nazi ritual, who were accompanied by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.). Bruttenholm befriended the creature, affectionately naming him ‘Hellboy,’ and the demon child was raised in secret by the U.S. government and trained/educated to be a paranormal investigator. ."]] Childhood: After he appeared in a church on a island off the coast of Scotland, Hellboy was taken to an air force base in New Mexico where he grew up under the guidance of Norton Ricker, and military dog, Mac. In '52, when he was eight, Hellboy joined the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Early Career: Hellboy aged greatly in body, although somewhat less in mind: while appearing to be a full-grown middle-aged man, he still had the rebellious fire and attitude of an adolescent. He became adept in many supernatural and paranormal subjects such as possession, haunting, exorcism, enchantments, holy amulets, and sacred artifacts. He eventually became a full-fledged field agent of the B.P.R.D. under Trevor Bruttenholm. In the years following World War II and the demise of the Nazi regime, Hellboy traveled the world, encountering and defeating numerous supernatural beings and disturbances such as werewolves, vampires, and encounters with the deranged Nazi brain-in-a-bottle scientist Herman Von Klempt (see "World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator (CBG)") and even the malicious Baba Yaga (see "The Baba Yaga). In the year 1952, Hellboy was granted honorary human status by the United Nations. Two years later, Hellboy was approached by the Osiris Club to slay the Saint Leonard worm, an alligator-like monster. This battle was in fact a test of Hellboy's true virtue, resulting in lilies that grew from his spilled blood, which seemed to confirm his good nature (see "The Nature of the Beast"). A short time later, Professor Bruttenholm sent Hellboy to help a Professor Edmond Aickman with the King Vold myth. Aickman was obsessed with a possible reward, and manipulated Hellboy into begrudgingly completing Vold's chosen tasks (see "King Vold"). Hellboy then embarked on a mission to rescue a stolen infant. In order to do so, he had to bear a corpse to its final resting place. Overseeing the assignment was the King of the Daoine Sidh, who would harbor interest in Hellboy in the near future (see "The Corpse"). Mister Tod, a physical medium much like Johann Kraus, accidentally released a cosmic monster to create a body for itself with Tod’s ectoplasm, and Hellboy was sent in to clean up the mess (see "Goodbye Mister Tod"). He barely succeeded in defeating the beast, and in 1982 tracked down the infamous Countess Ilona Kakosky, a vampiric woman. Hellboy slayed her after she tried to tempt him with a disturbing vision (see "The Vârcolac"). In 1991, Hellboy teamed up with fellow agent Abraham Sapien, an amphibious humanoid, to investigate an alleged haunted house. Hellboy was magically warped through time to the year 1902, where he had to contend with the sadistic leader of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra, a cult that tried to get a sample of Hellboy’s demonic blood to use on a chimpanzee, with the intent of turning the ape into a bloodthirsty monster (see "Dr. Carp's Experiment"). The Cavendish Hall affair: see also Seed of Destruction However, it wasn’t until the groundbreaking Cavendish Hall mission that Hellboy truly met a challenge which posed an extreme threat to him or his fellow agents Abe Sapien and Elizabeth Sherman, a woman with uncontrollable pyrokinetic abilities. It began when Hellboy met with his mentor Trevor Bruttenholm, who was trying to tell Hellboy a crucial memory disturbing the Professor. Suddenly, Bruttenholm was mysteriously killed when a spawning of frogs entered the room, and an angered Hellboy faced off with a humanoid frog-creature. A mission was sent to the haunted Cavendish Hall mansion, consisting of Hellboy, Abe and Liz to question the elderly Mrs. Cavendish, whose well-known family heritage Bruttenholm mentioned as he tried to remember what to tell Hellboy seconds before his death. Mrs. Cavendish was a widow who lost her two sons many decades ago, when they, along with a younger Trevor Bruttenholm, together explored the Arctic in search of a legendary temple. There, they had come across Grigori Rasputin, who had been hibernating for years in service to a terrible cosmic monstrosity, the Ogdru Jahad. Rasputin had become the creatures’ only hope of entering our world in order for them to unleash the Apocalypse on Earth. A dormant Ogdru Hem, one of the many corporeal progeny of the Seven Gods, was accidentally awoken by the team. It devoured the two Cavendish men, while Bruttenholm was able to escape with a fragile memory. Hellboy and his partners elected to stay the night at Cavendish Hall, to further explore any possible clues. Unbeknownst to the agents, the revived Rasputin had been manipulating events in order to draw Hellboy closer to him, intent on forcing Hellboy to fulfill his purpose as the Harbinger of Armageddon. Rasputin was the one who had summoned Hellboy to this world back in 1944, and had been patiently waiting for his chance to return and retake control of his ‘son.’ Upon discovering the presence of Rasputin, who had willingly revealed himself that evening in a vain attempt to coerce Hellboy’s loyalty, Hellboy refused this destiny. Having been raised by his mentor in the ways of good, he then tried to slay a furious and rejected Rasputin. With the help of Abe Sapien’s harpooning skills (who was, in fact, at the moment being possessed by the spirit of Mrs. Cavendish' deceased husband, who desired vengeance against Rasputin for the murder of his family) and Liz Sherman’s summoning of a firestorm that killed the Ogdru Hem beast, Hellboy succeeded in rejecting his purpose and delaying the End of Days. Rasputin’s body was destroyed and his spirit was forced to flee, vowing that Hellboy would fulfill his purpose in the end, whether he wanted to or not. More Career Highlights: What follows are a few worthy-of-note adventures of Hellboy and his partners following the Cavendish Hall incident: * 1994, Griart, The Balkans: Hellboy and Kate Corrigan visited a town decimated by the angry ghosts of werewolves. It became a revenge mission after Father Kelly, Hellboy's associate, was murdered by a living werewolf. Kate's first sighting of a ghost occurred during this mission. (see also "The Wolves of Saint August") * 1995, Scotland: Hellboy returned to the ruined church where he first appeared in the world, and had a dream-vision of his origin: His mother, as a young woman, had cavorted with a demon, and on Walpurgisnacht (a night of great significance to witches) conceived Hellboy as a result. (see also "The Chained Coffin") * 1998, Lizarza, Spain: Hellboy met with Adrian Frost, the son of Malcolm Frost. Hellboy related his life story to Frost, and the two realized that Hellboy's stone right hand was the key to triggering the Apocalypse. Hellboy has decided keep the hand lest someone else retrieve it and use it. (see also "The Right Hand of Doom") The Giurescu Affair: see also Wake the Devil In 1997, the second major turning point in Hellboy’s journey of discovery regarding his original purpose on Earth was what began as a mission to Romania, to investigate the theft of an ancient box containing the corpse of Vladimir Giurescu, a Napoeleonic officer who was in fact a vampire. The legend went that whenever Giurescu was injured in battle, his servants would bring his body back to his home castle, where the rays of the full moon would mystically revive him back to full health. In 1882, Giurescu, posing as a foreign nobleman, attempted to start a secret evil empire to conquer England. This caught the attention of the Nazi party during the 1940s, who then sent a delegation lead by Ilsa Haupenstein to recruit the immortal vampire to their cause. The meeting went badly, resulting in Hitler ordering the arrest and murder of Giurescu’s vampiric followers, nicknamed his “family.” He and his ‘family’ were beheaded and stabbed through the heart with stakes, and then burned; their ashes sent to Hitler. However, this was not the end for Vladimir Giurescu. In 1997, a former Nazi named Howard Steinman/Hans Ubler was shot to death inside his own museum, and a crate marked “Giurescu Lot #666” was taken. It is assumed that Ubler had stolen the remains of Giurescu during his Nazi days and had hidden the deceased vampire inside the museum for the last few decades. Now it appeared that Giurescu’s followers, lead by Ilsa Haupenstein, had come to rescue their master and bring his remains to Castle Giurescu, where the next full moon would revive him. The problem was that Castle Giurescu had never been found, for its location has always been hidden. B.P.R.D. agent Kate Corrigan made three rough guesses at possible locations of the castle, and three groups of agents were sent to each location in case one of them is the real deal. Hellboy went solo to the first site, while agent Clark and Abe Sapien went to the second site, and Liz Sherman and agent Waller, along with rookie agent Leach, investigated the third site. Hellboy arrived in time to discover that Ilsa had already prepared for the ressurection ceremony, but he was distracted by an encounter with the harpy-like Women of Thessaly. Meanwhile, Rasputin’s spirit had returned, and he succeeded in transforming Ilsa into the reincarnation of the godess Hecate, who battled with Hellboy. When Hellboy was captured and left to die chained to a pole, the revived Giurescu charged him, only to be killed in an explosion when Hellboy cracked the pole in half and struck the vampire’s horse. In fury, the iron maiden which formerly was Ilsa Haupenstein swallowed up Hellboy, trapping him within an alternate dimension. He encountered a group of beings who claim to be Chaos itself, and told Hellboy that the time had finally come for him to embrace his purpose. His true name, “Anung Un Rama,” was revealed for the first time, and the two sawed-off horns atop Hellboy’s forehead began to regrow as a crown of fire appeared above him. Hellboy, however, managed to overcome the transformation, telling the spirits, “screw you!” and snapping off his newly-regrown horns; an act which represents Hellboy’s devotion to the cause of good and that he truly is a well-meaning being, despite his origins or purpose. This moment of defiance instantly returned him back to our world, where he met Kate Corrigan. Backup never arrived due to an accident at the airport, and Kate revealed to a shocked Hellboy that during his adventures the other two teams had met their own misfortunes: Liz Sherman accidentally revived a human-sized homunculus which proceeded to kill Waller and Leach before disappearing. Liz feels extreme guilt over the incident. At the same time, Abe Sapien and agent Clark had visited a church in the belief that they would meet Hellboy there due to the presence of his tracking device. But it was revealed to be a trap set up by Rasputin, who wanted revenge against Abe for stabbing the mystic through the chest in their last encounter during the Cavendish Hall affair. Clark was killed in the process, but Abe managed to survive. The skeletal remains of Vladimir Giurescu were recovered by the B.P.R.D. while Hellboy and his fellow agents were airlifted home, exhausted by their recent mission. Meanwhile, Ilsa’s former henchmen Karl Rupert Kroenen and the revived Herman Von Klempt were punished by an enraged Rasputin for their defiance. Kroenen and the other former Nazi experts had been entrusted with the task of creating an Army for Giurescu to lead in a campaign to destroy mankind, thus bringing about Rasputin’s planned “Ragna Rok” apocalypse. Due to their disobedience in resurrecting Von Klempt, whom Rasputin despised, the undead mystic destroyed the laboratory along with the scientists, thus annihilating all evidence of their work. Almost Colossus see also Almost Colossus After losing her powers to the homunculus, Liz Sherman underwent treatment by Dr Olasz at the Wauer Institute. Meanwhile, Hellboy and Kate Corrigan investigate a missing cross and several missing corpses. The culprit was the homunculus, praying for God to kill him. Instead, the homunculus met his older brother, who told him of his creator and of their plans to overthrow mankind. Hellboy and Kate discover the homunculus' lair where they are attacked by his brother's crude homunculi henchmen. Kate is captured and the homunculus' brother plans to use her to build an enormous homunculus body for him to inhabit. Kate is rescued, but the evil brother uses the giant body to attack Hellboy. The first homunculus then seemingly gives in to his brother's wishes, becoming part of the giant body. But he uses the pyrokinesis taken from Liz to destroy his evil brother's new body. They rush to the Wauer Institute and arrive just moments after Liz dies. Then the homunculus, now dubbed "Roger", returns Liz's pyrokinetic powers to her, restoring her life at the cost of his own. The Little Box of Evil: see also Box Full of Evil In 1999, Hellboy and Abe investigated the Guarino's castle after a mysterious attack. On this mission, Igor Bromhead released Ualac, a minor demon trapped in a box by St. Dunstan, and Abe was shot by a chimpanzee. Ualac claimed the Crown of the Apocalypse (which sits invisibly on Hellboy's head) before attempting to take Hellboy's stone right hand. Hellboy was able to break free, and killed his enemy’s mortal body. Bromhead and Ualac were claimed by the demon Astaroth, who also took Hellboy's crown down to Hell. The Conqueror Worm Affair: see also Conqueror Worm (comic) This was a landmark moment in Hellboy’s multi-layered career. With the help of fellow agents Roger and Abe Sapien, among others, he faced off against an unprecedented threat: a cosmic entity bound with a Nazi scientist who had been floating through space for decades, and was now the vessel for the monstrous creature’s arrival on Earth. This beast was an alleged offspring of the Ogdru-Jahad, which the Nazis had tried to communicate with back in the 40’s. This mission to stop the ‘worm,’ now controlled by Grigori Rasputin, culminated in an intense sacrifice from Roger the Homunculus, who risked his very life to try and imprison the worm’s spirit within himself. With assistance from the ghost of famed television-serial hero Lobster Johnson, Hellboy managed to drive away the Worm’s consciousness, and a wounded Roger was given aid by B.P.R.D. agents. Hellboy now felt deep guilt over his profession, due to him having been given by Manning prior to the mission a device to kill Roger, should he become dangerous again. Then, with a heavy heart, Hellboy announced his resignation to Kate Corrigan, before leaving to try and find out once and for all the truth behind the supposed fate that would always haunt him. Later Adventures: * 2004, Africa: Hellboy sought advice from an African witch-doctor, and was told to dive to the bottom of the sea. He was captured by the Bog Roosh, who means to prevent the Apocalypse by dismembering Hellboy and hiding the Right Hand of Doom, but Hellboy managed to escape with the assistance of a mermaid. (see The Third Wish) * 2006: Hellboy washed up on an unknown island. He accidentally resurrected an ancient mystic, learned the secret history of the universe, and faced the monstrous Urgo-Hem. Hellboy then set sail for England as the Daoine Sidh watched on. (see The Island) * 2007: Hellboy returned to England. Rejecting the offer of Britain's witches to become their king, Hellboy was sent to another dimension to face the Baba Yaga and her lieutenant, Koshchei the Deathless. (see Darkness Calls) Powers and Abilities: Hellboy's superhuman abilities would seem to stem from his demonic nature. While his specific powers and abilities have never been explicitly listed, Hellboy is much stronger and more physically durable than an ordinary human being. He can be burned and damaged like any living thing, but he is possesses a "healing factor" (much like the Marvel Comics character Wolverine) that allows him to recover from wounds at an incredible rate. Hellboy has been noted to be able to see farther than the average human, and quickly heal from fatal wounds. One example of this was when he once took a sword thrust through his chest. He also has the innate ability to comprehend ancient and magical languages. He has been savagely beaten by large monsters on several occasions and survived, often with relatively minor injuries. On one occasion, Hellboy directly charged an MG-42 machine gun and took numerous bullets to the chest before destroying the gun. The extent of Hellboy's strength is unclear, but he has, for example, torn down a large tree and hurled it at an opponent. He has also thrown opponents weighing at least four to five hundred pounds. Hellboy also seems to age differently from normal Humans. At the time that young Hellboy tried his favorite food, “pamcakes” for the first time, he was technically two years old but appeared to be far older, around age six. In 1954 he already appeared to be a full grown adult, but was in reality about ten years old. His rapid physical maturation is in contrast to his physical rate of aging, which seems to be much slower than normal. Throughout the sixty year span of his life, Hellboy seems to have ceased to age ever since reaching physical maturity. In addition to his natural gifts, Hellboy carries a variety of items, such as holy relics, horseshoes, and herbs in his utility belt, as well as a variety of grenades and other demolition tools; these often come in handy when fighting supernatural beasts. He also typically carries a sidearm of some sort. Originally this sidearm was a gun that was given to him by the Torch of Liberty, a World War II era superhero who also trained Hellboy in marksmanship. Unfortunately this gun was lost in the ocean during "The Third Wish." In the Hellboy movie franchise, Hellboy also has a natural immunity to fire, though not to heated substances. It has never been firmly established if he also has this power in the comics. The film version of the character also carries an oversized pistol, known as the “Samaritan”, which Hellboy himself decribes as using “Really big bullets.” These specially-prepared bullets are hollow, and contain silver shavings, holy water, cloves, etc. to ensure the weapon's effectiveness against supernatural creatures. The gun was fashioned from melted-down church bells and fragments of the True Cross. It should be noted though that Hellboy is, by his own admission, a lousy shot; he prefers to “mix it up” in hand-to-hand combat whenever possible. Personality: Hellboy is often described as a likeably gruff person with much panache and witty humor in his attitude. He is easily angered by the (often defective) gadgets he uses, but has a genuinely good heart and love for other humans, despite his demonic origins. A living oxymoron, Hellboy is a force for good, with an iron will and a desire to do the right thing. He has continuously stated his disinterest in his supposed ‘purpose,’ and tries to hide his conflicted feelings beneath the wisecracking facade of an adventurous tough-guy who would just as soon knock back a cold beer and light a stogie, than battle demons and evil spirits. He is currently retired from the B.P.R.D., now on a mission to discover his origins and how to stop his impending ‘destiny’… '.]] The ‘Right Hand of Doom’: Hellboy's right hand, referred to as the "Right Hand of Doom", consists of a large forearm and hand that seem to be made from red stone. The Hand is effectively invulnerable and feels no pain, and is much like a sledgehammer when used to punch an enemy. Of course, being far larger than an ordinary human hand, the Right Hand of Doom is not very suitable for use with most objects, so Hellboy relies on his average-sized left hand to operate weapons and devices, although it has proved flexible enough to catch a fly. Because of this, he is most likely ambidextrous. (Note: It is more likely that Hellboy is naturally right handed, but since that hand is generally useless for ordinary tasks he has been forced to develop a degree of skill with his left hand as well.) The Right Hand of Doom was formerly the right hand of one of the "greater spirits" that watched over the burgeoning Earth, and is the hand the spirit used to create the dragon Ogdru Jahad. With that same hand, he bound the dragon, but then his fellow spirits turned upon him for his deeds, and destroyed him utterly-sparing only his right hand, which was kept and preserved by many races throughout history, including the first race of man. As the hand which created and bound the Ogrdu Jahad, it is also the key which will "loose and command" them; being something of a catalyst that will bring about the World's end. It is not even necessary for the arm to be attached to Hellboy at all; even on its own it would perform its tasks. However, it has been suggested that if Hellboy dies while the the Hand is attached to him, it would become useless. He has thus come to the conclusion that the only way to prevent it falling into the wrong hands is to keep and protect it. Weapons and Equipment: * Hellboy carried a handgun given to him by a WWII era superhero named The Torch of Liberty. This gun was lost in the ocean, but was later replaced by a 1941 US Army .45 provided by the ghost of Harry Middleton. * In the movie's Hellboy is also equipped with a large pistol, The Good Samaritan, which uses specially modified bullets to combat supernatural beings. It often runs out of ammo, and is prone to jamming. * Hellboy often carries many charms and knick-knacks on his belt, which he often uses as either tools to resurrect the dead, protect him or his friends from evil entities, heal, etc. A commonly shown item among these various possessions is a Christian rosary (which in the movie come's from his "father's" death) . * On Hellboy’s belt is a tracking device which is constantly linked to B.P.R.D. headquarters, in order to keep track of Hellboy’s whereabouts. After the "Conquerer Worm" he no longer wore this belt. * On the Giurescu mission, Hellboy used a rocket pack to make a tricky landing over the Castle. However, this “new and improved” model proved to be a wash when, upon ignition, exploded and engulfed a predictably pissed Hellboy. * Hellboy is almost always seen wearing a large and heavy jacket that reaches well below his knees. The pockets of this jacket are typically filled with many of the charms and totems mentioned above, granting him even greater paranormal protection. His original jacket bore the BPRD logo on it's sleeve, but after he quit the Bereau this logo vanished, indicating that he either removed it or the jacket he is currently wearing is a new one altogether. His jacket has been heavilly damaged many times, yet it always shows up repaired with each new story, indicating that Hellboy might have some skill in weaving. * Hellboy currently wields the sword Excalibur, from Arthurian Legend. Supposedly, wielding this sword marks him as the rightful king of Britan, and will allow him to lead an army of England's noble dead. Origins and Destiny: Hellboy's destiny has been a common and persistant theme in the series, and becomes more and more complicated with every story arc it seems. The first thing we knew about Hellboy was that he was destined to be the Beast of the Apocalypse. Baring the Right Hand of Doom, which came from one of the Watchers who made the Ogru Jahad, Hellboy posesses the one thing capable of waking the terrible beasts from their prison and unleashing them to end the days of man. For a long time, however, this has been the main focus of his destiny, and the thing he has constantly avoided. During the Wild Hunt story arc, however, his destiny took another interesting turn. It has been revealed that Hellboy is the son of Azzael, a major demon, and Sarah Hughes, a witch who spent most of her life in repentance after summoning him. Sarah had two other children besides Hellboy, both human, a nun and a pastor, whom died a swift death trying to protect their mother from Azzael for three nights in the hopes to break his claim over her. Furthermore, Sarah Hughes is a descendant of the traitor, Mordred, who died while slaying King Arthur. Mordred himself was the bastard son of King Arthur and Queen LeFay, whom was Arthur's sister (thus being an incestuous relationship.) Mordred had three sons, who were all executed, and a daughter who was hidden away. Through this daughter, the LeFay bloodline continued up to Sarah, her human children, and Hellboy himself. This makes Hellboy a descendant of King Arthur, and thus, the lawful king of Britain. Through this, it has been said that he is destined to wear a crown all along, be it in Hell or on Earth, and his destiny as Arthur's descendant is to pull the sword Excalibur from the stone, and lead Britain's army of the dead -- another part of Hellboy's destiny of which he doesn't seem too sure about. Allies and Enemies: Allies: * Abraham Sapien: An amphibious humanoid of mysterious origin, this fellow agent can breath underwater thanks to a set of gills, and is one of Hellboy’s closest friends in the B.P.R.D. * Elizabeth Sherman: A pyrokinetic, this brooding, somber woman has the psychic ability to create and manipulate fire. However, she suffers from guilt and a lack of self-confidence over her unstable and often downright dangerous ability. When she was a child, she accidentally killed her parents with her powers, and has since always been haunted by her failures and mistakes. In the film, she is portrayed as as having a romantic relationship with him and is pregnant with his twin children. However, their relationship in the comics is simply that of good friends. * Roger: An abnormally large, artificial man created from blood and herbs mixed in a jar with horse manure. Roger was discovered by Liz Sherman’s party during the Guirescu Affair, and was accidentally revived inside the secret laboratory he was built in by Sherman, who had curiously reached into a hole in his chest. Her fiery abilities sparked the creature to life, and the startled, frightened and confused homunculus lashed out and killed Agent Waller. However, at a later time the creature, to be named Roger eventually, was confronted by Hellboy and the beast helped revive a seriously injured Liz Sherman. Roger was rewarded with Agent status, and became a close partner of Hellboy during the Conqueror Worm mission. * Trevor Bruttenholm: Hellboy’s mentor and adoptive father. Pronounced “Broom,” the Professor was killed by a plague of frogs summoned by Grigori Rasputin, as a way to entice Hellboy into investigating the strange murder and falling right into the deranged mystic’s plans. * Thomas Manning: The head of the B.P.R.D. and Hellboy’s boss. He is the one who usually briefs Hellboy and his fellow agents on their new missions. * Katherine Corrigan: One of Hellboy’s most beloved teammates, Kate is an expert agent and motherly figure of the B.P.R.D. She is often on hand to give support and strong-willed advice, as well as criticism. An expert of the occult, Kate is a very dear friend and partner of Hellboy. Enemies: * Grigori Rasputin: The former infamous "Mad Monk" of Tsarist Russia, he is now an undead mystic who claims to be the official messenger of the terrible cosmic entity, the Ogdru Jahad, and is completely devoted to bringing about the end of days, by any means. He was under the employ of the Nazis in the mid-forties when he summoned Hellboy to Earth, intending him to be the leader of Rasputin’s forces in the coming apocalypse. He and his ‘creation’ first met during the Cavendish mission, and has since been manipulating numerous events, to further his motives. He had a romantic relationship with Ilsa Haupenstein. * Herman von Klempt: A deranged Nazi scientist who is in fact a disembodied head which is kept alive inside a jar of liquid. His gruesome experiments with helpless village girls introduced him to Hellboy, who would become his greatest adversary in his twisted plans. Under his control is an army of gigantic gorillas, controlled through a mental device implanted within the ape's brains. They do the brunt of Von Klempt’s work, and are in fact slightly sympathetic creatures, due to their mindless control under the mad Von Klempt. * Baba Yaga: This powerful and ancient witch, who resides in a chicken-legged house, has been on this Earth for centuries, and has a personal hatred for Hellboy after he shot out her left eye. Rasputin refers to Baba Yaga as his grandmother, and she has a tender, maternal relationship with the mystic. * Ilsa Haupstein: This Nazi woman was a deeply loyal follower of Grigori Rasputin, and had a romantic attraction to him. Seduced into believing Rasputin’s prophecy of the Ogrdu Jahad’s complete destruction of Earth and rebirth as a beautiful paradise free of conflict or moral sins, she was convinced to enter a metal torture device, which transformed Ilsa into the malevolent goddess Hecate. This evil entity swallowed up Hellboy, transporting him to an eerie realm where he confronted his purpose and experienced the re-growth of his horns. * Hecate: Hellboy first encounters the witch godess Hecate after defeating Vladimir Giurescu for the first time. Hecate there informs Hellboy that the two are tied to the apocalipse, and she believes that they will either live through it together to see the new world, or die together. Hellboy defeats Hecate, but she lives on in an iron body fueled by the blood and bones of Ilsa Haupstein. Behind the Scenes: Hellboy was created by comic artist Mike Mignola, and is published in comic books by Dark Horse Comics Inc. He first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2, and was soon given the lead role in his own comic book series written and drawn by Mignola, with assistance from John Byrne at first. The character was well-received by comic readers and critics alike, and the character’s popularity has risen tremendously due to his appearances in other media, most notably the two live-action films Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (see below), both directed by Guillermo del Toro, a devoted fan of the comic. To date, Hellboy remains Mignola’s most beloved and recognizable creation. Trivia: * According to Mignola, Hellboy’s personality was primarily based on Mignola’s father, a worker who often came home with many injuries, but always shrugged them off with dry humor. * Originally, Hellboy was to be a member of a superhero team Mignola conceived, but the artist abandoned the team-concept when he failed to come up with suitable names for the other heroes. * Lauded Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who is an acknowledged major fan of Mignola’s work, wrote the introduction to the hardcover edition of the Conqueror Worm arc. Del Toro would later go on to direct the two live-action Hellboy films thus far. * Hellboy’s name was born out of what began as a private joke to Mignola, who had randomly come up with the word, saying that he found the name “hilarious.” * The Hellboy comic books, as well as the general artistic style of Mignola’s work, was tremendously influenced by the art of famed comic-book illustrator Jack Kirby, as well as influences by Gustav Dore, H. P. Lovecraft, and even Bram Stoker’s famed novel Dracula, which is one of Mignola’s favorites. Other Media: Live-action film franchise: The 2004 film directed by Guillermo del Toro helped bring a larger awareness of the character into the public eye, and resulted in the birth of many more fans. The plot focused primarily on the origin of Hellboy, depicting in a prologue his summoning to Earth by Grigori Rasputin and his rescue from the forces of evil by a young Trevor Bruttenholm. In the modern day, Hellboy is now a paranormal investigator for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He finds himself not only having to battle an army of multiplying Sammael creatures which threaten to overtake mankind, but to also face the temptations of the resurrected Rasputin, who has come to finally fulfill Hellboy’s purpose… The sequel, titled Hellboy II: The Golden Army, was released in July 2008, and features the return of many cast members such as Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor and John Hurt (in a flashback sequence as Professor Trevor Bruttenholm). The film concerns the secret communities of fairy tale creatures (who have been rejected and ignored by an increasingly science-minded humanity), who then start a rebellion against humankind, and the B.P.R.D. is the only hope to stop this growing war. In these films, Hellboy is immune to fire, an ability not shared by his comic-book counterpart. Hellboy Animated: Hellboy has also enjoyed success in animated medium, starring in a series of feature-length animated movies released directly to DVD, and starring the voice talents of the live-action movie’s actors (Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and Doug Jones being the most prominent). To date only two films have been released : Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms and Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron, with a third feature titled Hellboy Animated: The Phantom Claw in development. This animated continuity of the Hellboy universe is also expanded on in a short graphic-novella series published by Dark Horse Comics, consisting (so far) of the comic collections Hellboy Animated: Phantom Legs (exclusive to the Sword of Storms DVD), Hellboy Animated: The Black Wedding and Hellboy Animated: The Judgement Bell. Sources *Hellboy at Wikipedia *The Official Hellboy site sv:Hellboy Category:Characters Category:Hellboy Movie characters Category:Hellboy II characters Category:BPRD-agent Category:Vigilante